Locations:
Search IconSearch

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Healthcare and Nursing (Podcast)

Nurses leader addresses the importance of DEI in the nursing workforce and at the patient bedside

When explaining the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion, consultant Verna Myers says that diversity is being invited to the party, whereas inclusion is being invited to dance.

Advertisement

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

“I love this quote,” says Myra King, DNP, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CCRN-CSC, who serves as APRN manager and a clinical nurse specialist in the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic. “Diversity is important, but we really need to make sure that we are also including people and that we are treating them equitably and listening to their input – listening to truly understand and incorporate their ideas into our plans, into our projects.”

In this episode of Cleveland Clinic’s Nurse Essentials podcast, King talks about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in nursing and healthcare. She provides insight on:

  • How clinical nurses can help ensure an inclusive, diverse environment on their units
  • Addressing implicit biases and reducing health inequities
  • The impact of a diverse workforce on creating trust and building relationships with patients
  • The importance of cultural competence and humility
  • Strategies to address patients or coworkers who exhibit intolerant behaviors
  • DEIB policy and advocacy within the nursing profession

Click the podcast player above to listen to the episode now, or read on for a short, edited excerpt. Check out more Nurse Essentials episodes at my.clevelandclinic.org/podcasts/nurse-essentials or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podcast excerpt

Podcast host Carol Pehotsky, DNP, RN, NEA-BC: How does having a more diverse, inclusive workforce help patients? And how does all this translate into confidence and trust with our patients?

King: Diversifying the nursing workforce is really crucial to addressing health inequities. Even the Future of Nursing Report that was published in 2021 speaks to that. Because when patients come into our healthcare facilities and they walk into our hospitals, they walk into our ambulatory settings, and they see people that look like them, that have similar traits, then they start to feel as though, "Listen, I can trust."

Advertisement

And this has been shown in research. Research shows over and over that improves patient satisfaction and improves communication between patients. It improves building relationships. And we know that mistrust of the medical community has been a pervasive problem for decades due to a variety of reasons, whether it's racism in healthcare that was present just as it was in society.

So, how do we rebuild that trust? It didn't happen overnight. So, as we reverse the mistrust that exists it's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be a process, but it really does start with making sure that our workforce represents the patients that we care for. And then as we do that and we have healthcare workers that represent our patient populations, they can also help us uncover the needs of those patients that we may not otherwise see, or they may not trust to tell us.

So, whether it's race and ethnicity or the LGBTQ community, really being able to have those healthcare workers is crucial so we can address the health disparities that we know continue to be pervasive in our country.

Advertisement

Related Articles

US and Bermuda flags
December 20, 2024/Nursing/Nursing Operations
Access to Care Expands With a New Representative for Bermuda

Nurse connects patients with Cleveland Clinic experts across the globe

Portraits of nurses Jennifer Katlen and Julie Simon
December 18, 2024/Nursing/Podcast
Geriatric Nursing: Caring for Older Adults (Podcast)

Building a trusting environment is key to providing age-sensitive care

Portraits of nurses Lori Matich and Travis Haycook
December 4, 2024/Nursing/Patient Experience
Differences, Not Deficits: Embracing Neurodiversity (Podcast)

How to create a welcoming environment and provide high-quality care for patients who are neurodivergent

Music therapy
November 25, 2024/Nursing/Patient Experience
All the Right Notes: Using Music to Promote Physical and Psychosocial Healing

Music therapists provide solace, help patients meet therapeutic goals

Portraits of nurses Catherine Skowronsky and Julie Seelie
November 20, 2024/Nursing/Clinical Nursing
Medical-Surgical Nursing: A Specialty, Not a Stepping Stone (Podcast)

Med-surg nursing is ideal for energetic innovators who want to care for a variety of patients and disease processes

Two nurses at computer
Promoting the Nursing Profession One Learner at a Time

Nursing center provides unique opportunities for career exploration

Portrait of nurse Jonathan Sanchez
November 12, 2024/Nursing/Clinical Nursing
Program Helps Patients With Substance Use Disorders (Podcast)

Recovery’s in Reach program provides immediate access to inpatient or outpatient services

Nurses in operating room
October 28, 2024/Nursing/Quality
The Profound Value of Integrity

Nursing leader highlights the interplay between provider transparency and better patient care

Ad